I guess you can compair switches like we do with loco mfg
Most of us long time modlers wont buy a standard Life like or bachman loco for reasons off poor running and lack of details.
Very true. You do on occasion find a diamond in these, (I got one!
)but not enough often to justify building an entire layout around them.
but most of us all started with them around the christmas tree or on a 4x8 board. I think its the same with track we use. Snap switches might be good for a starter or first time layout but after learning about the other switch mfg out there our eyes open to see that there are better performers out there. Like gramps said... most of us wont go ripping out track...instead we try to fix the issues first.. We learn that next time we build a layout there may be a better switch option availible.
only after I installed all my atlas switch tracks did I find out from this foum that peco and other brands exsisted. I feel this was just another learing example for me and I hope that others see threads like these to learn of all the options availible before just sticking to what they know. again just my .02
Trent
I have to admit, that the internet does make it easier to learn about new methods and products. I learn something new everyday, whether its on the internet, via personal experience on my layout, re-reading a magazine in my collection, (from 1937 on) or building a new model.
I guess that I was fortunate. My first HO layout was only an oval whose straight side was a 9" piece of brass track on one side and a Tru-Scale turnout kit built on the other, with an 18" long spur off of that. This was the only layout that was all "prefabbed", as any non-handlaid track was called then. I was also fortunate that my Dad really supported me as I got started.
My Dad had been somewhat of a Model Railroader prior to WWII, and had located a real train shop for he and I to go to. Once a month he'd drive me to Willots Model RR Shop, in Prattville, Al. (Long gone now.) For almost 7 yrs, he did this until I could drive myself. Will & Lottie Miller had this shop in their basement and was always giving me advice. Will was the one to get me to try handlaying track.
At the time Dad was driving me, (early 60's) just about the only track available, at Will's shop at least, was Atlas, affordable, always available, but flaky at times, Tru-Scale, rock solid but super expensive, and Shinohara, rock solid, expensive, but not always available. (Some things never change!
) It was available for HO only in code 100 or code 70 NS.
There were other brands like American Flyer HO, and Rivarossi's Cassido, but they were also hard to get. He also told me to not use brass track, but use NS as it was worth the few extra pennies it cost. The best track he told me was strictly handlaid, as there were no limits on what you could do with it, and the quality was only limited to how well you did it. Other than the low material cost the only thing was it took time to learn. I never did really develop a good technique to laying track until two things happened.
One, I got married while in college in Mobile, Al.
Two, While in Mobile I met another LHS owner, Roy Keeley, who allowed me to work on his O-scale layout, which was a rough copy of John Armstrong's Canadaigua Southern. Roy taught me a "shortcut" from Paul Mallory's method of trackwork, and letting me practice on his track with code 172 NS rail and 1/2" Walthers spikes. (I bought the book and have used the methods in the book ever since.) After 3 months I got pretty darn good with it. I became Roy's primary trackman from '73 until I moved to B'ham in '89. In that time, 73-89, I also had 6 more layouts of my own, all handlaid as well, with the largest 12x17'.
My Half-heimers is kickin' in. Can't remember all of them....
